Playmates – Action Figure Insiderhttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com
The Best Darn Toy News On The Web!Fri, 09 Dec 2016 15:00:38 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.161893577@ToysRUs Teases Their 2015 ‘Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome’ Holiday Cataloghttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/toysrus-teases-their-2015-great-big-toysrus-book-of-awesome-holiday-catalog/
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/toysrus-teases-their-2015-great-big-toysrus-book-of-awesome-holiday-catalog/#respondThu, 22 Oct 2015 11:00:23 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=127577Join Geoffrey and his toy pals as they take a look at the Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome, starring Barbie and Ken, Leonardo and Michelangelo, Shopkins, Skylanders, and more! It’s the perfect place to start building your ultimate Wish List!

These new, Glyos compatible action figures were designed with collectors in mind while drawing inspiration from both the 90’s Skeleton Warriors cartoon characters as well as original concept art provided by the awesome team at Goddard Film Group, LLC.

The first figure to be redesigned and updated is the bad to the bone Baron Dark!

This is designed to be 3 3/4″ scale line of articulated PVC action figures and since Baron Dark is the biggest of the main cast of characters, he clocks in at 5″ tall with 26 points of Glyos compatible articulation!

The Glyos System, developed by the insanely talented Matt Doughty of Onell Design, is a system for making action figure parts interchangeable. These figures utilize Glybrid style joints, which allows for a combination of traditional insert molded articulation with the swivel based Glyos fit functions. That means you can break these figures apart, reassemble them, and even use the parts interchangeably with other Glyos System brands such as The Four Horsemen’s Power Lords, Outer Space Men, and even classic Onell Design Glyos figures!

There are three main figures you can pledge for on Kickstarter now including:

Baron Dark

·5″ fully painted PVC action figure

·17 modular official Glyos compatible pieces

·26 points of articulation

·Comes with removable sword, cape, loin cloth, and arm guards (for a total of 21 pieces)

·Packaged in full color collectors window box

Skeleton

·5″ fully articulated unpainted PVC action figure

·17 modular official Glyos compatible pieces

·26 points of articulation

·Available in bone and glow-in-the-dark

Traveler Skeleden

·2.75″ PVC official Glyos action figure

·13 interchangeable parts

·12 points of articulation

·New axe accessory (first melee weapon for Pheyden)

·Special First Edition available exclusively through this Kickstarter!

]]>http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/skeleton-warriors-glyos-compatible-action-figures-by-october-toys-on-kickstarter/feed/0102627RETRO TURTLES ACTION FIGURES NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER FOR THE UKhttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/retro-turtles-action-figures-now-available-to-pre-order-for-the-uk/
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/retro-turtles-action-figures-now-available-to-pre-order-for-the-uk/#respondFri, 23 May 2014 16:11:25 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=102334Midco Toys Exclusive Range of Action Figures to be Released on June 30th 2014 in the UK

Fans of all ages can now place pre-orders for their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Retro action figures and guarantee getting a set. The Midco Toys eBay store, Epic Toys, is the place to go online to pre-order. Each figure is available individually for £12.99, with the set of six figures available for just £59.99 (a saving of over 20%).

Customers in Derby or Burton can visit either Toy Planet or Midco Toys to reserve their sets.

Midco Toys has partnered with Flair to exclusively release a special series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4” Classic Collection action figures in the UK. The range will include Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo along with Splinter and Shredder. Each figure is based on the original 1988 release, using the original Playmates moulds for totally radical authenticity. Each figure comes with their core Ninja weapons and an extra weapons rack.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4” Classic Collection perfectly complements the mix of products sold at Midco Toys, with its dual appeal of collector-friendly nostalgia and being a hot property with children. The 4” Classic Collection will form the centrepiece in a full range of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles products, including action figures, play sets, role play, creative and electronic toys.

Media Enquiries

Please contact Graham Hancock at graham@epictoys.co.uk or on 01283 563064 for more information, images or to arrange interviews/quotes.

Information for Editors

For customers outside of Europe, details on ordering will be made available closer to the release date.

Toy Planet is based in Derby’s Westfield Centre, and is one of the launch shops from when it re-opened in 2007. It sells a wide range of toys for all ages, including specialist items not commonly stocked.

Midco Toy Planet Ltd

174 South Mall

Westfield Centre

DE1 2PQ

Midco Toymaster is Burton-on-Trent’s only dedicated toy shop. It sells a wide range of toys for all ages, including specialist items not commonly stocked.

Midco Toymaster

169 High Street Street

Burton On Trent

Staffs

DE14 1JE

The “Independent Toy Retailer of the Year Award” was awarded at the Toy Industry Awards 2012.

Midco Toys was shortlisted for the “Independent Toy Retailer of the Year Award” in 2013.

Midco Toys and Toy Planet were the Good Toy Guide’s “Toy Retailer of the Month” in November 2013.

Turtle Power! Midco Toys has partnered with toy company Flair to exclusively release a special series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4” scale Classic Collection action figures in the UK. The range will include Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo along with Splinter and Shredder. Each figure is based on the original 1988 release, using the original Playmates moulds for totally radical authenticity. Each figure comes with their core Ninja weapons and an extra weapons rack.

In anticipation of their release in June, Midco Toys will be offering pre-orders on the action figures to guarantee that customers receive them on the official release date. Launch activity will include a Twitter campaign and a Pizza Partyyyy! – with more details to follow.

Grabbing a slice of pizza, Managing Director David Middleton said, “Turtles have been our best selling action figure line over the past two years, and we are expecting fans to get very excited about these exclusive figures.”

Anne-Marie Noon, Marketing Manager, Flair added: “Midco Toys is the perfect partner for us to bring these classic action figures to the legions of Turtles fans in the UK. As a specialist retailer the team at Midco knows what its customers want and aims to deliver both on the sales and retailer experience sides. It has been 26 years since the original release of this classic series and we expect them to be in huge demand”.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection perfectly complements the mix of products sold at Midco Toys, with its dual appeal of collector-friendly nostalgia and being a hot property with children. The Classic Collection will form the centrepiece in a full range of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles products, including action figures, playsets, role play, creative and electronic toys.

Cowabunga dudes!

Toy Planet is based in Derby’s Westfield Centre, and is one of the launch shops from when it re-opened in 2007. It sells a wide range of toys for all ages, including specialist items not commonly stocked.

Midco Toy Planet Ltd

174 South Mall

Westfield Centre

DE1 2PQ

Midco Toymaster is Burton-on-Trent’s only dedicated toy shop. It sells a wide range of toys for all ages, including specialist items not commonly stocked.

I stopped at my local Target today and happened upon a new release for the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” figure line by Playmates. This is the second Shredder in the action figure line and if you bought him the first time around this figure would be a considerable upgrade.

I held out on the first release because I didn’t like the fact that he didn’t come with a cape. I’m glad I did because this guy is a perfect figure and one of the coolest toys on the shelves.

This figure comes with a removable helmet, giving you the ability to showcase his gruesome face, permanently scarred by Master Splinter (I hope that’s not a spoiler). This second release also includes a cape that the first version did not have.

I really love the face sculpt and paint apps, they truly capture his disfigurement.

He doesn’t have the same articulation as the Turtle figures, giving him a limited range in poses but I’m fine with that.

While I didn’t take a picture of it, his cape is removable if the mood should strike you.

Besides being evil, it isn’t explained why his eyes are so spooky in the show, not that I need an explanation, but he has creepy eyes that translated very well onto this figure.

I was looking forward to this figure and bummed I missed out on the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive version. I’m very happy with this version and think the overall line is tubular. I should mention that the show itself is pretty radical as well and worth watching. They’ve done a great job of creating a world for the Turtles to live in and have set up some great story arcs for the characters. Both the show and this figure are highly recommended!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you dig the line? The show? Me?

]]>http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtle-shredder-2-figure-review/feed/393602What’s in a Toy Company Name?http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/whats-in-a-toy-company-name/
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/whats-in-a-toy-company-name/#commentsFri, 04 Oct 2013 03:08:32 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=91601Recently I was staring at the cool packaging of the Super7 ALIEN ReAction line. As I noted how the ReAction logo pays homage to the original Kenner logo I started to wonder what “Kenner” originally meant. Then it occurred to me that I had no idea where many toy company names came from. Hence, my latest wormhole…

Founded as The Wallace Berrie Company in 1966 by Wallace Berrie. In 1979 the company obtained worldwide rights to The Smurfs and released figurines which became one of the best-selling toys of 1982. That year, the company acquired the Applause division from Knickerbocker Toys. In 1986, the company changed its name to Applause Inc.

Started by Digger Mesch and Donna Soldano in 1996, Art Asylum was initially just a work-for-hire sculpting studio but eventually decided to enter the market as a full toy company. The company dissolved in 2007, and some assets (including the Art Asylum name) were acquired by Diamond Select.

In 1947 Naoharu Yamashina began distributing toys in Tokyo for his brother-in-law. In 1950 Yamashina took over the business and renamed it Bandai. It is the world’s third-largest producer of toys (after Mattel and Hasbro). A quick Japanese translation search tells me that bandai means: all ages / eternity.

Bif Bang Pow! was founded in 2005 by Jason Labowitz and Jason Lenzi. And if Mr. Lenzi is reading this, perhaps he could comment below and tell us about the process he went about choosing the name! Couldn’t have anything to do with this, now could it?

Coleco is an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as “Connecticut Leather Company”. It became a highly successful toy company in the 1980s.

The name ‘Corgi Toys’ was chosen in honour of the company’s new home (Fforestfach in Swansea,South Wales), taken from the Welsh breed of dog, the Corgi, and the iconic Corgi dog logo branded the new range. The name was short and easy to remember, further aligning the range with their rival Dinky Toys.

Diamond Select Toys was founded in 1999 by sister company Diamond Comics Distributors (founded in 1982 by Baltimore-based comics retailer Steve Geppi) to create collectibles for children and adults, and has since licensed a variety of pop culture properties. Geppi named his new company ‘Diamond’ “after the imprint Marvel Comics used on non-returnable comics,” and although the publisher discontinued the symbol months later, the name remained.

The Ertl Company is founded by Fred Ertl, Sr., in 1945. In 1999 Ertl was purchased by Racing Champions.

Founded in 1930 by Herman Fisher, Irving Price, Price’s illustrator-artist wife Margaret Evans Price, and Helen Schelle, the name Fisher-Price was established by combining two of the three names.

After working for Mcfarlane Toys between 1993 and 1999, Chris Dahlberg, Eric Mayse, Eric Treadaway, and Jim Preziosi left to form Four Horsemen Studios. In 2005, Four Horsemen Studios began creating their own properties and designing and manufacturing the toys to support them.

Founded in 1998 by Mike Becker, the company was originally conceived as a small project that would bring back low-tech toys in the now high-tech world. Sold in 2005, Funko LLC is now headed by Brian Mariotti.

Beginning in 1894 John E. Hubley manufactured electric toy train equipment and parts under the name Lancaster Brand Iron Toys. The name was later changed to Gabriel Industries and still existed as a division of CBS as of 1978.

Galoob was founded by Barbara Frankel and Lewis Galoob in 1954 as an import business. Before it was purchased by Hasbro in 1999, it was the third largest toymaker in the United States.

In 1923, three brothers, Henry, Hilal, and Herman Hassenfeld, founded Hassenfeld Brothers, a company selling textile remnants, in Providence, Rhode Island. Having previously sold toys under the Hasbro trade name, the company shortened its name to Hasbro Industries in 1968.

Established in 2000, the company initially focused on producing 1:6 scale U.S. military special forces action figures before transitioning to production of high-end figures based on media properties.

Ideal Toy Company was founded as Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York in 1907 byMorris and Rose Michtom after they had invented the Teddy bear in 1903. Now, brace yourselves:
The company changed its name from “Ideal Novelty and Toy Company” to Ideal Toy Company in 1938. In 1982, the company was sold to CBS Toy Company, which in turn sold Ideal to Viewmaster International in 1987, which renamed itself View-Master Ideal in the process. View-Master Ideal was later bought by Tyco Toys, Inc. The Ideal line remained part of Tyco until Tyco’s merger with Mattel, in 1997. The UK assets were sold to Hasbro which has released Mouse Trap and KerPlunk under its MB Games brand. Whew!

Jakks Pacific is named after its founder, Jack Friedman, who also presided over the company until his death in May 2010. Headquarters Malibu, California.

Kenner Products founded in 1947 by brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati’s Union Terminal.

Knickerbocker Toy Company was founded by a family of Dutch immigrants named Van Whye in 1869. The company name was derived from the nickname “Knickerbocker” given to the Dutch settlers who populated New York State. The company was originally known for their lithographed paper on wooden puzzles and educational toys.

The Lego Group began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (born 7 April 1891), a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932. In 1934, his company came to be called “Lego”, from the Danish phrase leg godt, which means “play well”.

The original Lionel Corporation was founded in 1900 by Joshua Lionel Cowen and Harry C. Grant in New York City. Initially, the company specialized in electrical novelties, such as fans and lighting devices.

LJN Toys Ltd. was founded in 1970 by Jack Friedman, who later founded other toy companies, notably THQ and Jakks Pacific. The name LJN came from the initials of Lewis J. Norman, the reverse of Norman J. Lewis, whose toy company had employed Friedman as a sales representative in the 1960s.

Founded in 1919 in New York City by Louis Marx and his brother David, the company’s basic aim was to “give the customer more toy for less money,” and stressed that “quality is not negotiable” – two values that made the company highly successful.

Mattel is derived from Harold “Matt” Matson and Elliot Handler, who founded the company in 1945.

McFarlane Toys was founded in 1994 by Todd McFarlane Founded. The company was originally dubbed “Todd Toys,” but the name was changed in 1995 following pressure from Mattel (who feared the new company’s name would be confused with that of Barbie’s younger brother).

The Mego (pronounced Mee-Go) Corporation was founded in the early 1950s by David Abrams. David’s son, Martin, became president of the company in 1971. Martin’s younger brother, Howard, is credited with coining the name Mego by saying “me go, too” as a child every time his father traveled.

Mezco Toyz was established in 2000 by Michael Markowitz (Mez) from the ashes of the short-lived toy production company: Aztech Toyz.

In 1860, Milton Bradley moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, and set up the state’s first color lithography shop. Struggling to find a new way to use his lithography machine, Bradley conceived the idea of making a purely American game. He created The Checkered Game of Life, which had players move along a track from Infancy to Happy Old Age, in which the point was to avoid Ruin and reach Happy Old Age.

The National Entertainment Collectibles Association or NECA was founded in 1996. In 2002, NECA’s Reel Toys was formed as a division to produce action figures and dolls.

Established in 1994, Palisades Toys, was a manufacturing and distributing toy & collectibles company geared toward the adult collector market.

Parker Brothers was founded by George S. Parker and Frederick Huntington “Fred” Parker. Parker created his first game, called Banking, in 1883 at the age of 16.

Playmates Toys is a Costa Mesa, California toy manufacturer and a subsidiary ofHong Kong-based Playmates Holdings Ltd which was founded in 1966.

The Playskool Institute was established by Lucille King in 1901 as a division of the John Schroeder Lumber Company. King developed wooden toys to use as teaching aids for children in the classroom. In 1943, Playskool bought the J.L. Wright Company, the manufacturer of Lincoln Logs. In 1968, Playskool became a subsidiary of Milton Bradley; both companies were acquired by Hasbro in 1984.

Remco was founded in the 1940’s by two cousins: Ike Heller and Saul Robbins. Armand Daddis soon joined the two taking the company from simple ‘walkie-talkies’ to remote controlled toys. The name Remco comes from the two words “Remote Control”.

Sideshow Collectibles started out in 1994 creating prototypes for companies such as Mattel, Galoob and Wild Planet. In 1999, Sideshow began marketing its own line of collectible and specialty products under the Sideshow brand. The company then began creating items in the sixth scale format that sold through specialty markets, at which time Sideshow switched their name from “toys” to “collectibles”.

Since the year 2000, SOTA Toys, or State Of The Art Toys, have created and manufactured numerous licensed products based on the characters from popular movies, TV shows, hit video games, and literary works, as well as legendary musicians and pop stars.

The name Spy Monkey Creations is an amalgam of the online monickers of company founders Jeremy Sung (SpyMagician) and Bill Murphy (Fresh Monkey).

In 1946, Mound Metalcraft was to manufacture garden implements. Their building’s former occupant, the Streater Company, had made and patented several toys. Streater was not interested in the toy business so he approached Mound Metalcraft. Mound Metalcraft thought they might make a good side line to their other products. After the addition of a new logo with the Dakota Sioux word “Tanka” or Tonka, which means “Great” or “Big”, the company began selling metal toys.

ToyBiz originated in Montreal, Quebec as Charan Industries’s (founded in the late 1800’s) American brand. In the late 1980s, Charan Industries sold their toy subsidiary. Becoming an American-owned company, Charan Toys was renamed Toy Biz in ’88.

Mantua Metal Products was a metalworks business founded in 1926. In the 1930s Mantua began to manufacture HO scale model trainsof die-cast metal. In the 1950s, Mantua pioneered “ready-to-run” HO-scale model railroad kits under the TYCO (for Tyler Company) brand.

Founded in 1948, WHAM-O’s first product was the Wham-O slingshot. The name “Wham-O” was based on the sound of the slingshot’s shot hitting the target.

No doubt, some of the information I’ve present here is inaccurate or incomplete. I did my best. If you are “in the know,” please school me in the comments below!

Last year saw the Power-Con fan convention DOUBLE in attendance from its first outing and we expect this year to be even bigger with the addition of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the fun that He-Man, She-Ra, and ThunderCats were already having!

You don’t want to miss what is being called one of the ultimate, most intimate fan experiences! Now in our third year, Power-Con will be presented at the Torrance Marriott South Bay on Saturday, September 14th and Sunday, September 15th. Discount ticket rates are available online for a limited time. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

With a guest list spanning well over 60 guests, Power-Con is delivering the creators and talent that brought Ninja Turtles, He-Man, She-Ra, and ThunderCats to life. Guests like voice actors Greg Cipes, Cam Clarke, Townsend Coleman, Brian Dobson, Larry Kenney, Christian Lanz, Lynne Lipton, and Alan Oppenheimer will be participating in an extensive panel and programming line-up that was created to cater directly to the fans of these magical properties.

Our Exhibitor Hall is completely sold-out and jam-packed with artists, toy and animation vendors, and property giants Mattel Toys and Playmates are bringing displays and action figure reveals for the attendees. Power-Con also focuses on enterprising, fan-favorite properties from multiple studios, such as the Power Lords from the Four Horsemen.

For attendees seeking exclusives, be sure to check out items like Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics traveling convention figure Strobo and Action Figure Xpress’ limited edition He-Man mouse pad. Visit each vendor to see what goodies they have specifically for Power-Con convention goers.

On Saturday, Power-Con also features a charity auction where 50% of the proceeds help benefit the Keep A Child Alive foundation which is dedicated to providing life-saving HIV treatment, care, nutritious food, support services and love to children and families affected by HIV. And if you can’t make it to the show to bid in person, we encourage everyone to participate online thanks to Big Toy Auction. Please help support a worthy cause.

And fans won’t want to miss Saturday’s cosplay contest with cash prizes totally almost $1000.00. Come out to watch the fun or even participate. Cosplayers from all over will strut their stuff on stage while sporting some amazing costume creations based on their favorite TMNT, He-Man, She-Ra or ThunderCats characters. We hope to see you there!

To stay up to date with all the Power-Con 2013 news, view the guest list and programming, and to purchase tickets, visit the official website often at: http://www.thepower-con.com/

]]>64553The “Hills” Are Alive… With Toys!http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/the-hills-are-alive-with-toys-2/
Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:55:43 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/marxblog/?p=683Over the holidays I was talking to fellow AFi staffer Cantina Dan about the “olden days” of collecting and I mentioned my time in the mid 90′s out east and hitting “Hills” department stores as part of my regular run. I never had Hills in the mid-west and they seemed to be a treasure trove of old and new toys I was looking for (and some that I was not looking for). They were great for finding new 5″ Toy Biz Marvel figures, Kenner’s Aliens (and Predator) line and Playmates Star Trek figures as well as full runs of clearance Swamp Thing, Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Nightmare Before Christmas.

I WISH they were still stocked with the vintage toys in these old commercials! I would have very much liked to have walked in and found endcaps of Shogun Warriors, Micronauts and Generation 1 Transformers! I stumbled across these the other day on YouTube and they were just too weird and wonderful not to share.

All the Hills discount stores are gone now. But their memory and their commercials live on!

]]>64503The “Hills” Are Alive… With Toys!http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/the-hills-are-alive-with-toys/
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/the-hills-are-alive-with-toys/#commentsTue, 08 Jan 2013 16:55:43 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/marxblog/?p=683Over the holidays I was talking to fellow AFi staffer Cantina Dan about the “olden days” of collecting and I mentioned my time in the mid 90’s out east and hitting “Hills” department stores as part of my regular run. I never had Hills in the mid-west and they seemed to be a treasure trove of old and new toys I was looking for (and some that I was not looking for). They were great for finding new 5″ Toy Biz Marvel figures, Kenner’s Aliens (and Predator) line and Playmates Star Trek figures as well as full runs of clearance Swamp Thing, Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Nightmare Before Christmas.

I WISH they were still stocked with the vintage toys in these old commercials! I would have very much liked to have walked in and found endcaps of Shogun Warriors, Micronauts and Generation 1 Transformers! I stumbled across these the other day on YouTube and they were just too weird and wonderful not to share.

All the Hills discount stores are gone now. But their memory and their commercials live on!

]]>http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/the-hills-are-alive-with-toys/feed/5683Geek Shall Inherit Episode 033 – Basking in the Afterglow of Comic Con 2012http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/geek-shall-inherit-episode-033-basking-in-the-afterglow-of-comic-con-2012/
Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:39:28 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/?p=50433We’re back from Comic Con, it was an amazing time, we only got to see a small fraction of it, and we are already ready for next year. It’s a bittersweet week for fandom as we have all been waiting with baited breath for “The Dark Knight Rises” to be released, but it’s impossible to fully enjoy it in the wake of the terrible tragedy of the shootings in Colorado. We don’t yet cover our thoughts on the film as Jason has seen the movie but Daniel has not yet.

The banter part of this episode is a little shorter than our usual episodes, but then it is followed up with one of the interviews from SDCC 2012.